A personal area network (PAN) is a network that encompasses an area of proximity (e.g. from one meter to one hundred meters) around a person with a wireless network device. Wireless PANs such as those based on Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology can provide capabilities to devices (e.g. media players, digital cameras and camcorders) for connecting together automatically whenever they come within range of each other.
Microsoft manufactures a proprietary digital media player called Zune for playing music, videos, podcasts, and channel selections. As an example of an application in a PAN, these devices can share files wirelessly with other Zunes via a Wi-Fi connection just as they might share files with computers via a universal serial bus (USB) connection.
A Japanese company named Erfolg manufactures a proprietary device for social networking called Lovegety with three buttons that the user sets according to a kind of activity she or he has in mind: “talk,” “karaoke,” and “get2.” The last button is a wild card, which could mean “get together.” The device searches for Lovegety holders of the opposite sex within a five meter radius. If it locates a Lovegety holder with the same mode, a light flashes and the device beeps, so the pair can find each other.
While such devices may provide for certain types of file sharing, social networking and/or communications in PANs, when more numerous devices are present (e.g. in large crowds or areas of heavy traffic) devices may spend considerable time, resources and energy establishing unnecessary connections. On the other hand, when a proprietary connection or network is being used, there may be no compatible devices available within range, or users of the only compatible devices within range may not share the same taste in music, or enthusiasm for talking, or enjoyment of karaoke, etc. Thus the usefulness of such devices' wireless networking capabilities may not be fully realized.
To date, more effective techniques for social networking and advertising local services from providing devices to local monitoring/requesting devices, and for monitoring and/or displaying advertised services have not been fully explored.